Kansas vs Duke Prediction, Picks, and Odds for Tonight’s College Basketball Game

Kansas is taking on Duke in a battle of blue-blood programs in Sin City tonight — and our college basketball picks expect the defenses to tell the story.

Rohit Ponnaiya - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Rohit Ponnaiya • Betting Analyst
Nov 26, 2024 • 12:41 ET • 4 min read

NCAAB

Match starts: 5 hrs
KU
65 %
DUKE
35 %
EXPERT PICK - TOTAL
u148.5 (-110)
Read Analysis
Hunter Dickinson Kansas Jayhawks ACC college basketball
Photo By - Imagn Images.

The 2024 Vegas Showdown tips off on Tuesday night with a clash between the No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and the No. 11-ranked Duke Blue Devils at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Blue Devils have been the best Under team in the country going back to last season, and my Kansas vs. Duke predictions are betting on that trend to continue. Here are my free college basketball picks for this clash between blue bloods on November 26, with tip-off at 9 p.m. ET. 

Kansas vs Duke prediction

My best bet
Under 149 (-110 at bet365)

My analysis
The Duke Blue Devils have been inconsistent on offense as they build chemistry with a young core, but their elite length and athleticism have allowed them to play lockdown defense. They're first in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and are fresh off a road win against Arizona, where they held the Wildcats to 55 points on 40% shooting and forced 15 turnovers.

The Kansas Jayhawks are 5-0, but their offense has flaws that Duke will magnify. The Jayhawks are coming off a game where they went just 6-19 (32%) from 3-point range against UNC Wilmington, and they shot 29% from deep against Michigan State and North Carolina.

Despite having All-American center Hunter Dickinson, they're just 296th in the country in offensive rebounding rate. That will make it tough for them to put up points against a Duke team that's 20th in defensive rebounding rate and holds opponents to just 25.8% from the arc.

That said, the Jayhawks are also defending at a high level. They're 14th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency and limit foes to an effective field goal percentage of 44.2%. They've shut down four of their five opponents, and while they allowed 89 points to a fast-paced UNC squad, they limited the Tar Heels to 43% from the floor and a 30% from deep.

The Blue Devils are 220th in adjusted tempo, while the Jayhawks should see regression in their pace since they've been playing significantly faster possessions than the last few years with the same lead guard. With the Under 15-4-1 in Duke's last 20 games; bet it again tonight.

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Kansas vs Duke odds

Kansas vs Duke live odds

Kansas vs Duke opening odds

  • Spread: Kansas +2.5 | Duke -2.5
  • Moneyline: Kansas +125 | Duke -150
  • Over/Under: Over 148.5 | Under 148.5

Odds courtesy of bet365.

Kansas vs Duke betting trend to know

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Duke is an incredible 16-2 to the Under at neutral sites while going 12-5 to the Under against ranked opponents. Find more college basketball betting trends for Kansas vs. Duke.

How to watch Kansas vs Duke

Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Date: Tuesday, 11-26-2024
Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

Kansas vs Duke key injuries

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Betting Analyst

With a background playing soccer, rugby, and boxing, combined with a journalism degree, it's little surprise that Rohit gravitated towards the world of sports betting. He specializes in betting on UFC and college basketball, two sports where the eyeball test can tell you a lot more about matchups than any analytics. Rohit has years of experience handicapping NFL and NBA games as well as niche betting markets such as politics and Oscar odds. He's also the resident CFL expert and formerly hosted "The Chez and Ro Show" with former CFL star Davis Sanchez.

You can catch Rohit breaking down every UFC event with Joe Osborne on "P4P Picks" on the Covers YouTube channel and he also has regular appearances on "Before You Bet" with Joe. In addition, he's a regular guest on "By The Book" on the Monumental Sports Network and makes guest appearances on VSIN's "The Handle" and CBS Sports.

Rohit primarily makes his bets at bet365, which offers a wide variety of prop markets, but also has accounts at several others so he can shop around for the best prices. For Rohit, bankroll management is key. He believes you should never bet what you can't afford to lose and maximize those few betting opportunities where books misprice a line.

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